Disorganized Crime – Part II

Last week we started off with basic steps to help “clean” your disorganization away. If you missed it, don’t worry. We employ ground-breaking technology that allows you, the reader, to go back in time to the past week’s post, and then also any post before that.

“Impossible!” you scream.

No, it’s a reality and all you have to do is check out the left side bar to read the last post, Disorganized Crime – Part I. It’s under the Latest Posts section, along with some other recent posts. Below the Latest Posts section you’ll also find a calendar hightlighting the days of the current month when a post was made. Pretty simple. What we’ve dubbed our Archives section exists at the very bottom of the sidebar. Archives – It’s a fresh term, but get used to it. Here you’ll find a collection of all past posts. Enjoy. Everybody will be using it soon. We’re just ahead of the game.

If you have your trading area and computer in order but just can’t seem to make time for Forex trading and education, try some of my suggestions below to “get on the clock!”

One the hardest things about diving into Forex trading, or anything that requires skill and knowledge to be successful, is forming a routine that leads to progress and productivity in that area. Once the routine has been set, consistently sticking to the routine becomes the next obstacle. Time management directly effects whether your routine ever gets put into action. If you never make time to actually educate yourself and trade, you’ll obviously go nowhere. Try the following tips and become a Time Ninja, slicing and dicing time into manageable pieces of your choosing! Ginsu World Class Knives!

Make an appointment for Forex and only Forex. Pencil in your calendar or stylus in your PDA calendar that you have a one hour appointment this Wednesday for Forex trading/learning/reading. This way, your schedule is in place and you set time aside specifically for Forex. And if you’re not a busy-body with an ever changing calendar, make every Wednesday on your calendar your Forex day. Start small with a single hour or two during the week and then move with longer sessions if the time permits.

Still can’t make time? This tip is a bit involved, but it will give you a level of insight worth paying for! Buy a small notebook and keep track of what you spend your time doing each half hour or hour. If you know you’ll only work on Forex trading after work, start keeping records as soon as you get home. Do this for a week or two if possible. Then, at the end of your observation period, sit down and review your notes. Do you spend too much time on the couch potatoed by the evil TV or in the bathroom taking long baths with your yellow ducky? It’s time to put the remote control and ducky away and make your Forex education a priority. Find the time, it’s there somewhere.

Maybe you don’t like your existing trading area. If your trading desk is at your day job, then there’s not much you can do for yourself (Quit! Ha! Don’t do that!). But if you’re at home, stuck in a closet, in your wet, nasty, basement, it’s probably time for a move. If your trading area isn’t inviting, this feeling will transfer over to your Forex trading and education and you’ll dread ever doing it. Do you really want to trade in the dark… in a closet… in your wet, nasty basement?Really? Get out of the dark and find an area with good lighting. Keep those eyes fresh! Bad smells? Find some place with a fresh breeze, or shell out a few bucks for a Glade plug-in (air freshner). Try out your local library, coffee shop (as long as it’s empty and not hustling with customers), Internet café, or back seat of your jeep. Just remember, if you want to make trades and check your charts live, you’ll need a place with an accessible Internet connection. You feel more at home if your trading area is appealing to your senses. Keep it looking, feeling and smelling clean (Need help with this? Check out my last article).

Take proactive steps to become attentive to what all of your time goes and also where you spend your time. Before you can go anywhere in Forex, you have to make the time to learn and trade. Keep your trading environment appealing and you’ll have an easier time coming back.

Be sure to make your way back next week for Part III in our Disorganized Crime series. The next article, excitingly dubbed Disorganized Crime – Part III, will provide organizational and task-oriented checklists more specific to Forex traders. Come back to see what you can do about creating some direction in your Forex learning and trading!

About Dr. Pipslow

If you can't keep your emotions in check when trading, you will lose money. Lots of it. The most significant action that you can do to improve trading profits is to work on yourself. Really knowing yourself and how you think can give you an edge that others in the market don't have. My goal is to share practical advice to improve your forex psychology without boring you to death. Hopefully, you can develop the mental edge you need to become the best trader you can be.

We introduce people to the world of currency trading, and provide educational content to help them learn how to become profitable traders. We're also a community of traders that support each other on our daily trading journey.